Labyrinth-valve.



.1. GOOD. lLABYRINTH VALVE. APPLICATION FILED I AN. II. 1914.

` Patented July 19H6.

. 2 SHETS-VSHEET lnoe nto@ n i. GOOD. LABYRINTH VALVE. AMPUCATIQN FILED JAN, .17, 1914..

Pam-ted ,my 4; 1915.

2 sHEE's-SHEET 2.

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l To all inkom t may concern UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN soon, or NEW Yoann. Y.

LABYRINTH-VALVE.

-thetendency to warp, whereby the said valves are ,particularly useful in internal combustion engines and other laces where subject to high temperatures, 1t being understood however that the said valves are susceptible Vof use Vin any relation where fluid pressures are to be controlled.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1' is a central vertical section through theV cylinder head of an internal` combustion engine provided with valve mechanism in acl vcorda-nce with this invention.- Fig. 2 is a forms susceptible of use in the section on line II-II, with the cover-plate removed. Figs. 3, 4, 5 vand 6, are modied structure of Figs. l and 2. y

In Fig. 1- the valve mechanism is contained in a cylinder head* structure 1, which is water-jacketed and provided with an eX- haust passage 2-and an intake passage 3. The intake and exhaust valves for these passages may be of identical structure, if desired, but in the present case they are shown slightly different, as a convenient means of illustrating modifications'of the invention. Both are driven by a common operating member, such as the valve shaft fi, which shaft may be mounted either horizontally as shown, or in any other suitable position according to the design of the particular engine or device in which used. This shaft is driven in proper phase with the engine, either on quarter or half time, by means of a skew gear 5 secured to oneend and driven bya complementary gear on a drive shaft 7. If the engine is a. multi-cylinder engine, l

the shaft 4 is placed' crosswise on' the row of cylinders and the drive shaft 7 is common to all of the valve shafts driving each in its proper phase. The labyrinth valves are composed of two series of lamellae, those of one series interlapping with those f the other without contact and so as to form a labyrinth crevice between them, and lthetwo series being relatively movable so that their secification Qf rettr Patent.

Application lcd January 17,1914. Serial No. 812,633.

Patented July 4, 1916.

respective openings can be brought into and` I out of alineinent with each other and with the intake (or exhaust) passage.

Referring first to the exhaust valve', the series of lamellae marked 8, is fixed in positlon in the head structure with the port opening 8a thereof in 4permanent alinement with each otherv and the passage 2. AThese members have the form` of dished annular plates or disks, most conveniently segments of spheres, as indicated, and are two in number in the present case, although they may be of any desired number dependentv upon the dimensions of the labyrinth crevice v and the fluid pressure -to be controlled. Or-

dinarily more than two will be required for combustion'engines Each Xed member in the exhaust valve has a flat annular rim by means of which it is clamped and keyed in .place between the series of interposed rings 9, which `space them from each other and from the ends of their housings. The members marked 10 of thecomplementary series f l are fixed to the shaft 4, being clamped therel on by means of the nuts 11, with a series of washers. 12 interposed between them, andv their openings 10a are set inalinement with eachother.` These movable members lar of similar form to the ,fixed members so .t at the narrow labyrinth crevice between the two series is of substantially uniform width. Through-,this crevice the fluid under pressure within the engine must travel in order to escape, but when the valve shaft carrying the movable members is rotating, the thin film of iuid tending to force its way through'the crevice, and adhering more or i less to the surface of the lamellae, encounters such degree of surface friction and is`so deected or dragged from the shortest path by the rotation of the surfaces, that any scape vis effectually prevented, although a l free passage 'is opened through the valve each time the openings 8a and 10a come in registry..

The head structure 1 conforms to the dished formation ofthe valve members, as

does also the cover plate 13, which clamps the fiXed members 8 and their spacer rings r 9 in place, the faces `of the head structure casting andl its cover plate also serving to form part of the labyrinth crevice referred to. One of the journal seats for the sha-ft l is provided in the cover plate 13, which alsoy forms part of thecasing for the skew gears and G above referred to. rEhe other end of the valve shaft e is jonrnaled in the com pleinentary cover plate 1l of `the intake valve. This cover is applied to the intake valve in like manner for clamping the lixed lamell of that valve in position. The shaft bearing therein is formed with a hub portion exteriorly threaded to receive an adjustable sleeve 1G, the latter being externally threaded to receive an outer vsleeve or housing 17, both sleeves being provided with set screws 'to lock themin position. The end of the valve shaft carries a collar 18 fixed thereon by a nut and held or confined to rotate between the proximate faces of the two sleeves. By this means the endvwise position of the shaft a may be initially adjusted to set the rotary lamell in @centralized position between the lixed lamellre and when the bearing surfaces have become worn to an extent likely to permit the two series of lamellze to come into frictional or binding contact these sleeves may be manipulated in an obvious manner to restore the original condi-- tion. Between the valves, the shaft 4 is incased in the water-jacket of the head structure but such jacket is not essential at this point and can be omitted if desired.

The intake valve differs from the exhaust valve merely in that the fixed lamellte 19 thereof have no flat rims upon their outer margins but are curved from center yto circumference and the spacer-rings 2O are correspondingly curved. rlhe inner margins of the rotary lamellae 21 are also curved instead of straight, as are also their spacer washers 22. Otherwise the construction is identical. In both. intake and exhaust valves however, the path vof escape for the fluid is formed be',1 tween inclined surfaces and because of such fact is longer than would otherwise be the i case if the lamellte were Hat disks of the Ite y'se

same diameter, as shown for example in corresponding application filed by me June 28, 1913, and in both. cases the lamellze are stiller in proportion to their thickness by reason of the dished shape and are also less likely to warp under the effect of heat.

In the form illustrated Figs. 3 to, a similar extension or elongation of the path of escape crevice is provided by the inclination of the surfaces of opposite lamellaa, andl in Figs. 5 and 6 a still further increase of length and obstruction to :dow is provided by introducing an angle in the inclined portions, giving the crevice a zigzag radial section. All of these forms can 'be substituted for the spherical forms of Figs. l. and 2. The angles of the zigzag occur near the centers of the lamcllac and also near their circumferences and outside of the boundary of the port openings, in which position they are most useful, since it is in the neighborhood of the openings that the path of escape crevice is shortest. By introducing the angles in such locations, the crevice between the presi-- ate faces of adjacent lamellre is rendered tortuous or curved, thus by so much increasing the labyrinthic character of the valve as a whole, and without undulynlarging its size. The extended length of the crevice beyond the port opening by means of the inclination of the crevice-surfaces, whether a single inclination or curve as in Figs. 1 and 3, or a double or multiple inclination such as shown in Figs. e to 6, thus constitutes an imn portant feature of the present invention irrespective of the remaining construction of the valve, and the means of obtaining such.V extension are broadly claimed herein.

in Fig. '3 the fixed lamellae 191 and rotary lamell 211 are spaced by rings 2O1 and washers 221, all of which are of conical Jform and it will be understood that this :torni of valve can be incorporated in the engine or other apparatus after the manner shown in Fig. 1, or otherwise, in an obvious manner. l

InFig. et the iixed lamellen 23`are centrally dished to form the double angles 2e, and then again dished near their circumference to form the double angles 25, the angles 24` and 25 being'both disposed between the line port openings (23a) and the inner and outer margins of the member, the intermediate portion inwhich the port opening is formed being in this form perpendicular to the axis of the valve.

In Fig. 5, the iixed lamellte 26 have their angles 27 and 28 disposed inthe same genv eral relation but the intermediate portions in which the port openings are formed are dis-` posed at an inclination to the axis of the valve.

in Fig. 6 the fixed lamellac 29 have their vangles 8O and 81 facing in the same direc-- tion, the intermediate portion in which the port openings are formed being in this case also radial to the axis of the valve. It will. be evident that other forms of inclined and i zigzag crevices having one or more angles between the boundaries of the port openings and the inner and outer circulnferences or" the' lainellae can be substituted for those above described. Angles can obviously also lbe formed in the ported parts of the crevice forming valve members if desired and any of the lamellae shown can be stamped from sheet inetal stock.

Where both valves are opposed'or on the same shaft, as in Fig. 1, they can be mounted with their dished sides fac-ing away from each other, thereby permitting the valves to be brought closely together, and also vpermittino an increased number of lamellae or an increase in the thickness of each, without unduly extending the length of the valve shaft. This arrangement of the valves will provide a smallerclearance space when used in internal combustion engines, and of course the reversal oi such arrangement wille eoy ` provide an apparent effect.

valves, when thusl arranged, at one side of the valve shaft in Fig. l, a hole is provided to receive a spark plug 33, pet-cock, fuel injector or other'device, as the case may be.

In Fig. l I have shown the members and 2l with a general tapered section, which further promotes compactness and freedom from warping. The fixed members 8 and 19 are formed to it in the spaces between the rotary members.

Having now fully described the invention,` I claim the following' y l. A labyrinth valve comprising interlapping lamellze Vhaving port openings adapted to form a free passage through )the valve when in alinement and provided With inclined portions beyond the boundariesof the port openings forming a labyrinth CIGVICQ- M 2. A labyrinth valve comprising interlapping lamellae provided with port open` ings adapted to open a free passage through the valve when said openings are in aline`- ment and provided with angular juxtaposed surfaces beyond the boundaries of said port openings forming a tortuous crevice between lamellae.

" 3. AA labyrinth valve comprising a series of dished members and a series of similarly 'dished members, the members of one series interlapping without. contact with those of the other seriesand each provided with port openings adapted to be brought into g Between the series of interlapping, dished, lamell, theirl dished, sides facing in opposite 'directions 6. A valve mechanism for gasl engines and like uses, *comprising a pair of labyrinth valves each formed of series of interlapping dished lamellae having their dished sides faced awayv from each other. f

7. A labyrinth valve comprising a series of' xed lamellae and a series of lrotary lamelles interlapping therewith, each pro- -vi'ded with port openings adapted to be v brought'into alinement toopen a free passagev through the valveand ,both series of lamellae having a cross section forming langles on the proximate faces thereof.

l8. A llabyrinth valve comprising` lamellae interlapping without contact, havingportopenings adapted to form a free passage through the valve whenin alinement,v and provided with double inclined portions beiyond the boundaries .of the port` openings forming a tortuous crevice.

9. A labyrinth valve comprising interlapping but non-contacting lamellae provided with port openings adapted to form a free passage through the valve when said open-v ings are in 'alinement and provided with juxtaposed surfacesforming a narrow crevice between lamellae, the said juxtaposed surfaces being complementarily shaped to form angles in the portions of said crevice between the edges ofI the lamellae and the boundaries ofthe port opening;

1'0.A A labyrinth valve comprising a series of fixed lamellae and a series of rotary lamellae, each provided with port openings adapted to be brought into alinement to open a free passage through the valve and both. series of lamellae" formed of zigzag cross section.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two Witnesses.

v f. lJOHN GOOD.

Vitnesses: f

Gr.- A. TAYLOR, K. L. GRANT. 

